The Angel That Pines

Sitting on her bed, Ikaros was flipping slowly through a photo album filled with pictures that depicted her and Tomoki together. The pink-haired Angeloid noticed that every time she looked at this book her power reactor seemed to act funny. Ikaros considered the album to be one of the few treasures that she personally owned other than her watermelon and her garden. Although the album itself consisted of pictures that featured Nymph, Astraea, Sohara, Eishiro, and even Mikako the President, Ikaros filled the book of with pictures that featured Tomoki most of all.

Ikaros smiled slightly as she looked at the pictures. This was one of the few times that she ever smiled. Most of the time she carried on her face a deadpan facial expression that seemed irreparable by nature. However there have been a few times where she showed emotion but these were times when Tomoki was in danger. Whenever Tomoki was in danger it caused so much pain and turmoil inside of Ikaros that her nearly constant deadpan expression was broken and she showed a number of emotions that surprised her friends.

The reality that Tomoki was her master was not the reason she showed such emotion during these situations. It was the fact that he was kind and caring toward her and even wanted her to make her own decisions that made Tomoki's safety a matter of personal importance rather than formal obedience or obligation brought on by the imprinting between them.

Putting the album on the bookshelf in the corner of her room, the Angeloid heard the door open and the sound of footsteps.

"It seems like master is home." Ikaros said to herself.

Walking from her room and down the stairs, Ikaros was met with a smile from her master.

"Hey Ikaros how was your day…you know being home and all." asked Tomoki toward Ikaros.

"Ummm it was fine…I cleaned the house and did the shopping today so everything should be prepared for the next few days." replied Ikaros with her usual deadpan expression.

"Oh well that's good, but you know you don't have to give me a report of these things, you not a maid." Tomoki pointed out.

"I am made to serve my master, if these are the things you wanted me to do then I am meant to do them."

"Ikaros you're my friend not my slave."

"Master, my purpose is to please you in any way I can."

"I KNOW THAT OKAY!" shouted Tomoki.

Ikaros lowered her head in sadness in response to Tomoki's short outburst.

"Hey Ikaros I'm sorry for shouting at you, but you are my friend and that's who I want you to be."

Tomoki felt guilty for shouting at Ikaros who was only trying to be of use to him.

"Ikaros…"

"Yes?"

"Never mind."

Tomoki thought to say something to his Angeloid but soon decided against thinking that this was not the most appropriate time to say it. Instead he petted her head something he knew she liked. Tomoki went into the living room and sitting down at the table sighed in frustration from the recent events that seemed to have invaded his life. 'The fact that I have four angeloids living with me in my own house it's just too much to handle at times…not to mention Oregano living with Mikako which stresses me out even more.' Tomoki crossed his arms and pouted. "I wished I had my peace and quiet back." he muttered outwardly.

"Do you want me to leave?" Ikaros asked overhearing his comment.

"Huh? No of course not; why do you want to leave?"

"No but I hear you often say that you want peace and quiet."

"Well…you're an exception of that desire."

"Exception?" asked Ikaros.

"Yes you're an exception." Tomoki said who didn't want to go on any further; luckily the front door opened and Tomoki was able to turn his attention away from the subject of conversation.

Closing the door behind them, Nymph, Astraea, and Chaos entered into the living room. Chaos quickly jumped and hugged Tomoki tightly as she always did.

"Hi Onii-chan we're home!" said the youngest Angeloid who looked at Tomoki with her purple eyes.

Nymph quickly rolled her eyes. "Chaos do you really have to be so childish?"

"Onii-chan loves when I hug him…don't you?" Chaos asked swiftly turning her attentions from Nymph to Tomoki.

Tomoki giggled and patted Chaos on the head. "Of course. It doesn't bother me."

Ikaros just seemed to watch what was going on, having been left out of the conversation. Getting up she decided to go back to her own room so as to not be a bother to Tomoki while he was conversing with the other Angeloids that crowded into the house.

Sliding the door open Ikaros went into her room and scanning the space enclosed in the four walls found her watermelon on the floor. Putting up the large fruit, the pink-haired Angeloid crossed her legs and sat down once again on her bed petting the watermelon as she thought about her master.

'Master does seem content…but what did he mean by saying that I was an exception? Is that good or is that bad?' thought Ikaros. Meditating on the thought it scared her to think that Tomoki might think that she is the worst out of all the Angeloids.

In the living room, Tomoki and Astraea were having an argument over a box of cookies that Astraea seemed to consume like a black hole.

"Hey you didn't let me have any!" yelled Tomoki at the blonde-haired Angeloid who stuck out her tongue.

"Idiot! You weren't fast enough!" mocked Astraea.

"Idiot! What's five times two?"

Astraea fumbled trying to answer Tomoki's question.

"Ummm…ahhh…ehhhhh?"

"See now who is the idiot!?"

"Oh whatever I was hungry and you said that I could come eat whenever I wanted!"

"Well at least offer to share instead of eating the whole box by yourself next time!"

Finding the ongoing argument pointless, Tomoki stopped himself before proceeding any further. Looking around the living room he noticed that Ikaros was missing from the group.

"Hey where'd Ikaros run off too?" Tomoki asked curious to know where his angeloid went.

Chaos tugged on his pants, "Want me to go find her Onii-chan?"

"Sssure…if you want to." Tomoki said.

"Okay I'll be right back." Chaos remarked before walking out of the living room to discovering the missing Ikaros.

"Maybe she left because you're such an idiot." Astraea said continuing to mock Tomoki.

"Oh shut up Astraea!" Tomoki shouted back.

"Ugh really it's gone down to this." Nymph commented to herself about Tomoki and Astraea's antics.

Leaving Nymph, Astraea, and Tomoki behind in the living room, Chaos went off in search of Ikaros. She began to slowly search the rooms of the house. "I wonder where Onee-san might be hiding out." said the olive-haired Angeloid to herself as she was in the midst of checking each room she came upon.

"Is she here?" Chaos asked rhetorically as she opened up the bathroom door. "Nope, no onee-san here.

"What about…here…no still no onee-san" said Chaos to herself as she checked each room for her sister.

Finally having checked on all the rooms that she could think of Chaos thought to go back to the living room and wait for Ikaros to come out by herself. Although the idea somewhat disappointed her, considering that she wanted to make Tomoki happy by doing this. Resigned to this idea, Chaos was about to make her way back to the living room when she heard a low crying sound. The sound was coming from a room that she seemed to have missed while on her search.

Step by step she made her way to the door and to the sound behind it. Sliding the door, Chaos could see Ikaros in full view. The pink-haired Angeloid was curled with her back toward the door; her wings were visible and caressed the floor gently and softly with their grace. Ikaros' sobs could be clearly heard by Chaos.

"Ah! There you are onee-san." Chaos said relieved that she found Ikaros.

Ikaros, hearing Chaos' voice, turned her attention to the young Angeloid.

"What is it Chaos?" asked the crying Ikaros.

"Are you okay onee-san?" asked Chaos. "What's wrong?"

"Please close the door Chaos." asked Ikaros.

Chaos doing as Ikaros asked of her slid the door closed and sat down close to the elder Angeloid. Ikaros had hoped that Chaos would have taken the message and left her alone to sort out her own problems but the younger Angeloid seemed unable to have picked up the hint to leave the room.

"What's wrong onee-san?" Chaos repeated.

"It hurts." Ikaros said suddenly.

"It…hurts?" asked Chaos. "What does?"

"My power reactor I feel it hurting…and I don't know what to do."

Chaos could hear Ikaros crying even more as she said this and sat silence for a few moments.

"Onee-san is this…love?" Chaos asked in curiosity. "I remember…I remember you said the same thing to me when we were deep in the bottom of that ocean. You said that your power reactor was malfunctioning that's what you told me. Are you telling me that it was hurting you back then as it does now?"

Ikaros didn't move from her place. "I don't know but I've hear the phrase 'to pine' used in the context of when one person has strong feelings for another person and are unable to tell them."

"Well if not love then who do you pine for onee-san?" Chaos asked.

"Master." Ikaros said quietly.

"Who?"

"I pine for my master."

"You pine…for Onii-chan?"

"Yes I pine for him…he is precious to me."

"Onee-san does 'to pine' mean love? Is that what love is?" Chaos asked eagerly.

"I do not know Chaos. Please just leave me alone."

"Onee-san?"

"Just…just leave." Ikaros said as she sobbed, her face buried in her lap with the watermelon.

Chaos felt sadden seeing Ikaros this way but getting up she walked out of Ikaros' room and made her back to the living room with everybody else.

Left alone Ikaros continued to cry in silence with the watermelon she held as the only form of comfort she had. Holding the fruit tightly to her chest, Ikaros continued, what she believed was called "pining". Ikaros continued in silence to pine for her master, Tomoki Sakurai.